SMART Appoints Vice President, SMART Labs

Dr. Keith Lantz Responsible for Front-End Innovation and Product Development

CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 13, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SMART Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:SMT) (TSX:SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces the appointment of Dr. Keith Lantz to the newly created position of vice president, SMART Labs. SMART Labs comprises a collection of functions that are either early-stage, experimental or next-generation, what the company refers to as "the fuzzy front end of innovation." It complements and supports SMART's long-established product development function. Dr. Lantz has been consulting to SMART since March 2010 and was appointed to the new position on December 1, 2010. Dr. Lantz will report to Nancy Knowlton, CEO.

A pioneering technologist and entrepreneurial businessman with over 35 years of experience, Dr. Lantz brings an extensive skill set around innovation in distributed systems, user interfaces, multimedia conferencing, voice and video over IP, telepresence and unified communications to SMART. He has held senior positions with notable international telecommunications, technology and engineering companies, including Cisco ® Systems ® and Olivetti Research Laboratory. Dr. Lantz has also held roles as a researcher and professor at Stanford University and the University of Rochester and was a founder of Avistar Communications Corporation. His proven track record in both management and innovation, strong strategic vision and ability to drive tactical execution are key reasons he was selected for the role. Dr. Lantz is a named inventor on 36 U.S. patents and 21 international patents, with others pending. Dr. Lantz has three degrees in computer science including doctoral and master's degrees in science from the University of Rochester and a bachelor's degree in science from Washington State University.

"I have been following the success of SMART for several years and am very pleased to be part of this innovative and dynamic company," says Dr. Keith Lantz. "I look forward to working with a dedicated team of innovators and making a significant contribution to SMART's new product vision."